For patients with moderate to severe chronic kidney disease (CKD), treatment with activated vitamin D may reduce the risk of death by approximately one-fourth, suggests a study in the August Journal of the American Society of Nephrology.Many patients with advanced CKD take the drug calcitriol, an oral form of activated vitamin D, to treat elevated levels of parathyroid hormone.

Fruits and vegetables that are rich in nitrates protect the stomach from damage. This takes place through conversion of nitrates into nitrites by the bacteria in the oral cavity and subsequent transformation into biologically active nitric oxide in the stomach. The Swedish researcher Joel Petersson has described the process, which also means that antibacterial mouthwashes can be harmful for the stomach.

UNISON, the union for meat hygiene inspectors, is calling on the Food Standards Agency (FSA) to resist calls to privatise meat inspection for safety's sake. The Meat Inspection Service currently protects consumers in England, Scotland and Wales and the decision over its fate is due out later today.

Teaching nutrition lessons, preparing healthy school meals and offering a friendly greeting are all in a day's work for more than 250,000 child nutrition employees in the nation's 99,000 school cafeterias and kitchens. The non-profit School Nutrition Association celebrates this professional commitment with Child Nutrition Employee Appreciation Week, May 5 - 9, 2008.

A New York meat company is recallling over 286,000 pounds of fresh and frozen meat and poultry products because they could be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes, a potentially fatal bacterium that causes listeriosis.

A new study suggests that extra iron for infants who don't need it might delay development results that fuel the debate over optimal iron supplement levels and could have huge implications for the baby formula and food industry."Our results for 25 years of research show problems with lack of iron. For us to find this result is a big deal, it's really unexpected," said Dr.

Research on the bone health of one of the oldest persons in the world, who recently died at the age of 114, reveals that there were no genetic modifications which could have contributed to this longevity. The research team, directed by Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona professor Adolfo Díez Perez, pointed out a healthy lifestyle, a Mediterranean diet, a temperate climate and regular physical activity as the reasons for his excellent health.

The largest randomized study of breastfeeding ever conducted reports that breastfeeding raises children's IQs and improves their academic performance, a McGill researcher and his team have found.In an article titled, Breastfeeding and Child Cognitive Development, published in the current issue of the Archives of General Psychiatry, Dr. Michael Kramer reports the results from following the same group of 14,000 children for 6.5 years.

As National Breastfeeding Awareness Week approaches (11-17 May) the NCT is marking the Week by encouraging NCT branches nationwide to host events and activities in their local area. Local branches will be calling on shops, cafes and leisure facilities to do everything they can to promote the fact that local breastfeeding mothers will be made welcome.

The Australian Medical Association called on the food industry to take more responsibility in curbing Australia's obesity epidemic. AMA President, Dr Rosanna Capolingua, said governments should take firm action to encourage the food industry to adopt measures to promote healthy eating.

Low-income Hispanic women are more likely than their black and white counterparts to follow diets that are rich in fruits and vegetables, according to a study published in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association, Reuters Health reports.

The Institute of Food Science & Technology, through its Public Affairs and Technical & Legislative Committees, has authorised the following Information Statement prepared by its Professional Food Microbiology Group. It was originally issued in June 1995, was reviewed and approved in January 1998, in September 2001, in March 2003 and in May 2008.

There have been recent claims that dairy products can help people lose weight, and the dairy industry has hyped the assertion by investing millions of dollars in commercial advertising. However, a new review of the evidence published in the journal Nutrition Reviews reveals that neither dairy nor calcium intake promotes weight loss.

A new study shows that apples and apple juice are playing the same health league as the often-touted purple grapes and grape juice. The study was published in the April 2008 issue of Molecular Nutrition and Food Research.Researcher Kelly Decorde from the Universite Montpelier in France was part of the European research team that found apples have similar cardiovascular protective properties to grapes.

Heart disease is the number one cause of death in Americans. High blood pressure is the “silent killer.” High homocysteine levels are considered by some researchers to be as dangerous as high cholesterol levels. Also, an aging heart is less efficient and more likely to develop disease. Fortunately, certain nutrients and specialty compounds may help promote healthy blood pressure, homocysteine ... (1582 words)

CLEARWATER, Fla.—ReNew Life Formulas launched its “Are You ToxSicK?” display contest, with plans to award $1,000 to each of the 10 best store displays promoting the need for healthy detoxification in an increasingly toxic world. The program coincides with the release of a new book by Brenda Watson, CNC, founder of ReNew Life: “The Detox Strategy: Vibrant Health in 5 ... (268 words)

AVIGNON, France—Naturex (Naturex.com)  announced a partnership agreement with Scalime Nutrition, a French company also based in Avignon. The purpose of this agreement is to accelerate the marketing, commercial and technical development of Scalime Nutrition’s polyphenolic extracts. This range includes extracts of onion and lettuce standardized to polyphenols, with high antioxidant activity, for the nutraceutical, cosmetic and food industries. These innovative ... (168 words)

NEW YORK—The Hain Celestial Group Inc. (Hain-Celestial.com), Kiss My Face Corp. (KissMyFace.com) and  Nature’s Gate (Natures-Gate.com), marketers of personal care products in natural products stores, responded to allegations made by All In One God Faith Inc. d/b/a Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soaps regarding labeling of the companies’ personal care products that use certified organic raw materials.The response stated that Hain Celestial, ... (211 words)

NEW YORK—To end confusion and help consumers know what personal care products are truly natural, the Natural Products Association (NaturalProductsAssoc.org)  announced a new certification program which defines natural and includes an easily-identified seal. Shoppers can expect the seal to begin appearing on certifier personal care products in the coming months.“People want natural products because they are good for them and ... (248 words)

Men who consumed high saturated fat diets (HSF) were younger and had higher BMIs at diagnosis than men with who consumed low saturated fat diets (LSF). Saturated fats were most commonly consumed as beef steaks, cheese and cheese spreads, hamburgers and cheeseburgers, eggs, ice cream and salad dressings.

Fruits and vegetables that are rich in nitrates protect the stomach from damage. This takes place through conversion of nitrates into nitrites by the bacteria in the oral cavity and subsequent transformation into biologically active nitric oxide in the stomach. This also means that antibacterial mouthwashes can be harmful for the stomach.

For millions of American children and teens playing sports, good nutrition is critical for maximum health, performance and normal growth. Yet, with all the information available out there, it's becoming harder than ever for a young athlete to filter truth from myth, and detangle the good from the bad and the ugly, says a pediatric sports nutritionist at the Johns Hopkins Children's Center.

The radioactive carbon-14 produced by above-ground nuclear testing in the 1950s and '60s has helped researchers determine that the number of fat cells in a human's body, whether lean or obese, is established during the teenage years. Changes in fat mass in adulthood can be attributed mainly to changes in fat cell volume, not an increase in the actual number of fat cells.

The effect of snacking on teenagers' dietary intakes of recommended nutrients and MyPyramid food groups has been examined, and the findings are both positive and negative. After analyzing the eating habits of more than 4,000 teenagers surveyed nationwide, scientists found that 90 percent reported eating one or more snacks in a day.

A new study in mice suggests molecules in plants may have beneficial effects on Alzheimer's disease. Researchers administered molecules called flavonoids, which are found in certain fruits and vegetables, to a mouse model genetically programmed to develop Alzheimer's disease.

Women at high-risk of cardiovascular disease who took a daily supplement of folic acid and vitamin B6 and B12 for seven years did not have an overall reduced rate of cardiovascular events, despite a significant lowering of homocysteine levels, according to a new study.

Recent work has shed light on the mechanisms of colon tumor development and may help to design better treatment for this disease. The study published in Cancer Cell describes a mechanism by which harmless colon polyps acquire the ability to form malignant tumors.

One blocked brain enzyme helps mice to decrease appetite, lose weight, and better manage their blood sugar levels. For many years, scientists have been identifying and testing every step of the appetite stimulation and suppression pathways in search of a target. Such research is considered critical to finding ways for people to better control their weight and minimize their risk of developing diabetes, heart disease and other health conditions.

Obesity may increase adults' risk for having dementia. Obesity increases the risk of dementia in general by 42 percent, Alzheimer's by 80 percent and vascular dementia by 73 percent. Being underweight increases the general dementia risk by 36 percent. But researchers who carried out an international review of research since 1995 found no elevated risk in people who were normal or overweight.

A gut hormone that causes people to eat more does so by making food appear more desirable, suggests a new report in Cell Metabolism. In a brain imaging study of individuals, the researchers found that reward centers respond more strongly to pictures of food in subjects who had received an infusion of the hormone known as ghrelin. The findings suggest that the two drives for feeding --metabolic signals and pleasure signals -- are actually intertwined.

People with shorter arms and legs may be at a higher risk for developing dementia later in life compared to people with longer arms and legs, according to a new studyin the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. Researchers say the association between short limbs and dementia risk may be due to poor nutrition in early life, which can affect limb growth.